Catamenial appliance



i March 23, 1937.

P. l.. PATERsoN CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE Filed Sept. 5, 1934 Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STABS CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE Peter Lindsay Paterson, London, England Application September 5, 1934, Serial No. 742,832 In Great Britain September 12, 1933 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in or connected with catamenial appliances.

It has already been proposed to provide a flexible rubber bag or the like for the purpose of accommodating a pad of absorbent material, the bag being fitted with suitable means for attachment to a suitable support. Such devices have, however, proved to be unsatisfactory, owing to the difficulty of securing a good nt, and one which was not impaired when the article was subjected to pressure, as from the thighs.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an appliance which is so designed as to maintain tight contact with the body.

A further object is to provide an appliance which is comfortable in use and can be maintained in the desired position even though the user undergoes athletic movements.

Yet another object is to provide a device of small dimensions which can be Worn under bathing costumes or the like.

A still further object is to provide an appliance of a very hygienic character and one in which carriage and disposal of the pads or the like employed therewith are very greatly facilitated.

With the above and other objects in view the present invention resides in the features hereinafter fully described and claimed in the appended claim.

According to one feature of the present invention, I provide a catamenial appliance, including a suitable waterproof, and preferably flexible, holder or container, adapted to receive a pad or the like of absorbent material, said container being secured or adapted to be secured to, or formed integrally with, a suitably shaped cushion-like contact member, or sealing rim. Said contact member or sealing rim is so constructed as to be soft and pleasant to wear, whilst at the same time having sufficient resilience or rigidity to maintain its shape under pressure, as from the thighs.

According to another feature of the present invention, I provide a pad for insertion within the above mentioned container, said pad being substantially of oval shape, and formed from wood cellulose or other suitable absorbent material, preferably of low cohesiveness. Said pad is preferably reinforced on its upper and lower faces, for example, by means of one or more sheets of permeable material, for example, gauzefabric, muslin or the like. These sheets may be stitched together at a plurality of points around their outer edges, but the space between such edges is preferably open, so that disintegration of the cellulose pad can be easily brought about by'immersion in water, and disposal of the remnants of the pad is thereby greatly facilitated. These pads may conveniently be formed by stamping them from large composite sheets and stitching the edges either before or after the stamping operation.

The aforesaid pad may be fitted with one or more tabs, loops or the like for facilitating its withdrawal from the container, and if desired. an opening in said container may be provided for facilitating the insertion and removal of the pad, such opening being for instance closed by a Zip-fastener, or in any other convenient manner, although said pad is preferably of such size that it can be urged past a re-entrant rim into and from an enlarged pocket portion of the container without necessitating any additional opening therein.

According to yet another feature of the present invention, I provide means for supporting the aforesaid catamenial appliance, said means comprising a belt, for example, of silk-covered elastic material, adapted to encircle the waist, and having dependent and extensible straps, tapes or the like, having hooks, clips or the like for engagement with strap-like extensions of the container, or with said container itself. I preferably provide one strap, tape or the like, at the back of the belt, and two straps, tapes or the like, at the front thereof, so as to ensure secure positioning of the appliance.

The above mentioned contact member of the container is preferably in the nature of a sealing rim, of such size and contour, that it surrounds the vulva or labia pudendi, and extends from the under-surface of the arch of the pubic bones to the natal cleft distal to the cocyx bone. Said sealing rim may be made of any suitable resilient material, for example, sponge rubber, although it is preferably in the form of a pneumatic cushion, tube or the like, which may be of rubber, silkcovered rubber or the like, and may be reinforced in any suitable manner. Thus for instance, a wound steel-wire may be fitted to or housed within the tubular ring, and so serve to reinforce said rim, and cause the desired shape to be maintained. The aforesaid rim may for instance coincide approximately with the external contour of a longitudinal section through a pear, but other shapes, such for example as oval or elliptical form may be employed.

The bag portion of the aforesaid container is preferably longer and wider than the rim or sealing portion, and may be made of rubber, silkcovered rubber, or other suitable flexible and waterproof material. Said bag portion may moreover, be formed integrally with the rim portion i' ion.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the complete appliance in approximately the position it occupies when in use,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the appliance,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one form of pad which may be employed, and,

Fig. 4 is a side sectional elevation of said pad.

Referring to the drawing, the supporting means for the appliance consist of a belt I of resilient material, for example silk-covered rubber, and having three dependent extensible tapes or the like 2, 3, II each of which carries a fastening device, for instance a clip 5. A subsidiary tape 5 of silk or other suitable material is preferably provided behind each clip so as to prevent such clip from contacting with the body. 'I'he aforesaid clips 5 are adapted to engage small eyelets 6', I', 8' carried by bands S, 'I and 8, extending from a pouch or container 9. Said container is preferably made of rubber and the bands 6, 'I and 8 may be formed integrally therewith' or be secured thereto in any convenient manner.

The above mentioned container 9 is adapted to receive a pad I0 of more or less oval form which can be urged past the upper rim II of the device into the lower portion which is of slightly greater width and length. Said sealing rim conforms more or less with the contour of a vertical section through a pear and is adapted to make tight contact around the vulva. In order to increase the desired sealing effect said rim is in this example of tubular form and the interior is filled with air so as to form a pneumatic cush- The aforesaid air-cushioned rim may be formed integrally with the container 9 by rolling and sealing the upper edge or a separate rim portion may be secured to said container in any convenient way. Moreover instead of lling the tubular portion of the rim directly with air, an inner tube may be inserted within said tubular portion.

In order to prevent any inadvertent rucking of the aforesaid sealing rim II, due for instance to closing together of the legs, I preferably provide resilient reinforcing means. Thus for instance a ring I2 of wound steel-wire may be fitted to said rim in any convenient manner. Said ring conforms with the desired shape of the opening but is preferably appreciably smaller than the outer limit of the rim I I, and forms a recessed portion I3 below which the side walls of the container diverge. 'I'he pad Il! can be urged past the reinforced rim into the enlarged container and will be securely held therein until its withdrawal is desired. In order to facilitate withdrawal of said pad a loop I4, for instance of silk tape, is secured to one end thereof.

The aforesaid pad III is of such a size that it covers the vulva and is thus very much smaller, and in particular, very much shorter than equivalent devices usually employed. VThe pad is preferably of a composite nature including a central portion III consisting of several, for instance eighteen, layers of wood-cellulose or other suitable absorbent material, and two covering sheets of gauze or muslin I5, I 5. The ends of said sheets E5, I5 are secured together in any convenient manner, for instance by means of stitches I 6, I l, but the side portions are preferably not interconnected so that disintegration of the pad results very readily when it is immersed in water and the ultimate disposal of the pad is thereby greatly facilitated.

The two front bands 2, 6 and 3, 'I of the supporting means are so positioned that they lie in the folds of the thighs and the single rear band, formed by the parts 4 and 8, is so disposed that it lies in the rima ani. In this way the device is comfortably and securely supported and inadvertent displacement is very strongly opposed.

In a modification of the above example, instead of providing a rim II including an air cushion, the desired resiliency may be attained in other ways. Thus vfor instance, said rim may be lled with sponge rubber or textile or brous material or the like. Moreover, instead of making the container of rubber, any other suitable material, for example, rubberized fabric, may be employed and the container may be covered with any suitable material, for instance silk or artificial silk.

The aforesaid container 9 and the securing means may be of any desired shape and size and in some cases an opening may be provided in the side or base of the container for facilitating th insertion 01 removal of the pad IIJ. v

In a modification of the above-described supporting means, instead of employing an elastic belt I of endless form, I may provide a, belt the ends of which can be detachably secured together by any convenient clasp, buckle or the like.

A device as above described in addition to possessing the advantage of carrying out its functions in a very secure and comfortable manner, due inter alia to its adaptability for maintaining tight contact and its resilient nature, also possesses the great advantage of being of small dimensions, so rendering its use possible Under bathing costumes and the like. Further the possibility of using small pads enables a number of such devices to be easily carried and very greatly facilitates the step of utlimately disposing of them.

The supporting device employed in carrying out the present invention may in some cases be adapted to serve other purposes. Thus for instance, it may be adapted to serve as a scrotum suspensory device or the like.

Whilst I have hereinbefore given some examples of appliances according to the present invention, it is to be understood that the particular details may be varied or modified within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim: v

A catamenial appliance including a exible waterproof pouch adapted to receive a pad of absorbent material and having an open top, a pneumatic sealing rim operatively related to said pouch and disposed about said open top, said rim being substantially of pear-shaped contour and concaved in side elevation, a reinforcing wire for said rim which conforms to the shape thereof, the Wire being disposed between the rim and the pouch proper and within the outer limits of the rim, the narrow end which constitutes the rear of said appliance being provided with a single strap-like support connected at a point below the rim, whereby the rear part of the rim may be securely supported against a user, and the wide end which constitutes the front of said appliance being provided with two Strap-like supports, whereby to support the front part of the appliance.

PETER LINDSAY PATERSON. 

